Street Department’s Spring Cleanup

All of a sudden, it’s Spring. Our clocks have been set forward to a much more reasonable time, and most of the leaves have found their way back on to the trees where they belong. Yes, my friends, Mother Nature has woken up.

Unfortunately, she wakes up like a teenager on Monday morning. She grumbles and gripes, endlessly tossing and turning and pulling the covers every which way. This goes on for several weeks, and when she’s finally awake, her bedroom’s a disaster. We’re left with branches and limbs in our yards, bushes that need to be trimmed, or pruned, or whatever, weeds that need to be picked, and those pesky hanger-on leaves that just won’t go away.

This is where Tony Floyd and Benton’s Street Department step in.

The annual Street Department’s Spring Cleanup is upon us. For those of you who have recently moved here, and also for those of you whose memory is no better than mine, let me explain.

For one week each year, the Street Department allows citizens of Benton to clean up their yards, pile the mess up next to the street and the Street Department will come pick it up. Not bad.

There are rules, of course, and please pay attention to these as they get your yard picked up and keep the Street Department employees safe so they can come back and help you again next year. Here they are:

No garbage. Limbs, branches, leaves, and other yard debris are all that will be picked up.

No bags. Anything left in a bag will not be picked up.

Nothing in the street. Everything must be behind the curb (if you have one) or clearly away from the street if you don’t.

Limbs up to 3” in diameter will be picked up. No logs or stumps.

Interested? There are three steps. (Hint: #2 is the only hard one.)

Next week, from April 17-21, call the Street Department at (501) 776-5990 and tell them you want to get on the Spring Cleanup list.

Clean up your yard and pile all of the debris next to (not on) the street.

Wait patiently for the Street Department to come pick it up.

Pickup will begin the following week, on the 24th. It’s a big job, and can take several weeks, so make sure to remember the patient part. Even Mother Nature has to be patient. Let’s face it. Even though she’s awake, we all know it’s going to take her two more full months to get completely dressed and ready to go out.